North Carolina HB 87: Shifting State Elections.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA 
 
SESSION 1991 
 
H 1  
 
HOUSE BILL 87 
 
 
 
 
Short Title:  Shifting State Elections. (Public) 
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Sponsors: Representatives Ethridge; Fletcher, and Stamey. 
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Referred to:  Courts, Justice, Constitutional Amendments, and Referenda. 
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February 18, 1991 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 
1 
AN ACT TO AMEND THE CONSTITUTION TO SHIFT THE ELECTION OF THE 2 
GOVERNOR     AND     OTHER     COUNCIL     OF     STATE     MEMBERS     TO     3 
NONPRESIDENTIAL EVEN-NUMBERED YEARS. 4 
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 5 
Section  1.    Section  2(1)  of  Article  III  of  the    Constitution  of  North  Carolina  6 
reads as rewritten: 7 
    "(1) Election and term.   The Governor and Lieutenant Governor shall be elected by 8 
the qualified voters of the State in 1992 at the places and on the day prescribed by law.  9 
Their term of office shall be two years and shall commence on the first day of January 10 
next  after  their  election  and  continue  until  their  successors  are  elected  and  qualified.    11 
The  Governor  and  Lieutenant  Governor  shall  be  elected  by  the  qualified  voters  of  the  12 
State  in  1972 1994 and  every  four  years  thereafter,  at  the  same  time  and  places  as  13 
members of the General Assembly are elected.  Their term of office shall be four years 14 
and  shall  commence  on  the  first  day  of  January  next  after  their  election  and  continue  15 
until  their  successors  are  elected  and  qualified.  For  the  purpose  of  the  last  sentence  of  16 
subdivision  (2)  of  this  section,  the  term  commencing  January  1,  1993,  shall  be  17 
consecutive to the term commencing January 1, 1989, or January 1, 1995." 18 
Sec. 2.  Section 7(1) of Article III of the Constitution of North Carolina reads 19 
as rewritten: 20 
"(1)     Officers.    A  Secretary  of  State,  an  Auditor,  a  Treasurer,  a  Superintendent  of  21 
Public    Instruction,    an    Attorney    General,    a    Commissioner    of    Agriculture,    a    22 
Commissioner  of  Labor,  and  a  Commissioner  of  Insurance  shall  be  elected  by  the  23 
qualified    voters  of  the  State  in  1992,  at  the  places  and  on  the  day  prescribed  by  law.  24 

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA 1991 
Page 2 HOUSE BILL 87 version 1  
Their term of office shall be two years and shall commence on the first day of January 1 
next after their election and continue until their successors are elected and qualified.  A 2 
Secretary  of  State,  an  Auditor,  a  Treasurer,  a  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction,  an  3 
Attorney  General,  a  Commissioner  of  Agriculture,  a  Commissioner  of  Labor,  and  a  4 
Commissioner of Insurance shall be elected by the qualified voters of the State in 1972 5 
1994 and  every  four  years  thereafter,  at  the  same  time  and  places  as  members  of  the  6 
General  Assembly  are  elected.    Their  term  of  office  shall  be  four  years  and  shall  7 
commence  on  the  first  day  of  January  next  after  their  election  and  continue  until  their  8 
successors are elected and qualified." 9 
Sec.  3.  The  amendments  set  forth  in  Sections  1  and  2  of  this  act  shall  be  10 
submitted to the qualified voters of the State at the statewide general election to be held 11 
in November of 1992, which shall be conducted under the laws then governing elections 12 
in the State.   13 
Sec. 4. At that election, each qualified voter desiring to vote shall be provided 14 
a ballot on which shall be printed the following: 15 
"[]  FOR  constitutional  amendments  shifting  election  of  the  Governor,  16 
Lieutenant Governor, and other members of the Council of State from 17 
presidential-election  years  to  even-numbered  nonpresidential    years,  18 
provided  that  those  elected  in  1992  shall  serve  a  two-year  transitional  19 
term. 20 
[]    AGAINST    constitutional    amendments    shifting    election    of    the    21 
Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and other members of the Council of 22 
State      from      presidential-election      years      to      even-numbered      23 
nonpresidential  years, provided that those elected in 1992 shall serve a 24 
two-year transitional term." 25 
Those qualified voters favoring the amendments shall vote by marking an "X"or check 26 
mark  in  the  square  beside  the  statement  beginning  "FOR",  and  those  qualified  voters  27 
opposed  to  the  amendment  shall  vote  by  marking  an  "X"or  check  mark  in  the  square  28 
beside the statement beginning "AGAINST". 29 
Notwithstanding  the  foregoing  provisions  of  this  section,  voting  machines  30 
may be used in accordance with rules and regulations prescribed by the State Board of 31 
Elections. 32 
Sec. 5. If a majority of votes cast thereon are in fav